The Art of Quilting: A Journey of Beauty, Patience, and Creativity
“She sat still, I thought, and yet she traveled. And when one stitch, the mind travels, not the way men do, with ax and oxen through the wilderness, but surely our traveling counted too, as motion. And I thought of the patience of the stitches. Writing a book, I thought, which men often do, but women only rarely, has the posture of sewing. One hand leads, and the other hand helps. And books, like quilts, are made, one word at a time, one stitch at a time.” – Sena Jeter Naslund
In the winter of 2018, I had the pleasure of accompanying Sandra and Burt Sigal to an art quilt exhibition at the California Heritage Museum in Santa Monica. As we walked into the charming house, I was struck by the beauty of the colorful quilts on display. I had driven past this house countless times before, never realizing the hidden treasure inside.
Sandra Sigal, a master quilter herself, led us through the exhibit with expertise and grace. Her knowledge of the intricate techniques and methods of construction used in the quilts was captivating. As I listened to her explanations, memories of my childhood flooded back to me. I remembered watching my mother sew and create fashionable garments with such ease.
As I looked at the quilts, I found myself drawn to the abstract patterns and designs within them. I delighted in cropping the photos to create new, unique compositions, often removing them from their original narrative.